Being a parent changes the way you view the world. While it’s impossible to protect
our children from every possible danger that may lurk around the corner, we all want
to protect our kids from injury to the best degree possible. We can make our
children’s environment that much safer, if we follow some simple steps.
Many hazards occur around the home, in every room. Below are some practical and
reliable solutions to keep kids safe.
Hidden home hazards
Kitchen
The kitchen is where a number of burns occur due to items cooking on the stove and chemicals that are
stored under the kitchen sink. Supervise your child at all times while in the kitchen, and:
Make sure safety latches are attached to all cabinets and drawers.
All pot handles should be turned inward while in use on the stove.
Pots and pans need to have proper fitting lids.
Ensure you have working fire extinguisher close by.
Please store out of reach all:
cleaners and chemicals
vitamins and medicines
knives and sharp utensils
matches and lighters
plastic bags and wrap
glass and other breakables
small appliances should be pushed to the back
of countertops along with their electrical chords
Bathroom
The bathroom holds similar hazards to the kitchen in that children can get scalded or consume
dangerous substances. As well, there is the fear of drowning. Young children can drown in as little as
three inches of water. Supervise your child at all times while in the bathroom, and:
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BCMA Council on Health Promotion
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Check bathwater temperature with your elbow
before putting your child in the tub.
Make sure the surface of the tub is slip-free.
Don’t use bath seats or bath rings - they can be
dangerous and provide a false sense of security.
Attach safety latches to cabinets and drawers.
Return expired medications to the pharmacy.
Please store out of reach:
all medicines
sharp objects
all cleaners and chemicals
personal care products
Living Room
The hazards in the living room centre on heavy items that can fall and children themselves falling and
hurting themselves. To decrease the danger, some simple actions can be taken:
Make sure sharp edges on tables, entertainment centres, and sideboards are padded.
Bookshelves and other tall furniture should be fastened to the wall.
All fireplaces should have screens.
Keep your television on low, sturdy furniture.
Window blind cords need to be secured out of reach.
Supervise children if they clamber over furniture.
Store out of reach:
heavy or breakable objects
small objects and figurines
plants
purses
Bedroom
A child’s bedroom should be a safe haven, not an obstacle course of dangers. For babies in cribs, make
sure:
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The crib meets all safety standards.
There are no bumper pads or toys in the crib as they can be a suffocation hazard.
Cribs are placed away from windows to protect against breaking glass and dangerous window
cords.
BCMA Council on Health Promotion
www.bcma.org
Mobile needs to be out of reach.
Move your child into a low bed when they reach 90 cm (35 in) tall.
For older children:
Purchase a bunk bed that meets current US standards as
there are no Canadian safety standards.
Look for ASTM F1427 on the label. This design helps reduce
the chance of your child’s head, neck and limbs from
becoming trapped in the bunk bed.
Keep children under six off the top bunk.
Make sure there are guardrails on all four sides in the upper
bunk.
Tightly secure the ladder.
No locks on bedroom doors.
Window blind cords need to be secured out of reach.
General Safety
Choosing the right toy for your child
Survey results have shown that a majority of Canadians believe that if a toy or product is available on
the market, it is therefore safe. Unfortunately, while parents may reasonably assume it has been tested
or inspected and considered safe, that’s not necessarily the case. Not all products are tested before they
are stocked on store shelves.
To reduce risk:
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Choose age-appropriate toys.
Examine all toys to ensure they have no small parts that can be pulled off and swallowed by
young children. If the toy, or part that can be pulled off, can fit in a cardboard toilet paper roll
(1.25in or 3cm), then it is too small for children under three.
Ensure that the batteries are locked inside toys and that children can't easily access them. If
children chew on batteries they can get burned.
Toys that are strung across a crib or playpen are attractive to babies but can get caught around
their necks. Remove all crib toys strung across the crib as soon as the baby starts to push up on
their hands or knees or is five months old (whichever comes first).
Toys can be recalled because the company has found something wrong that could be dangerous.
See below for recall information.
BCMA Council on Health Promotion
www.bcma.org
Check for product recalls
Health Canada is the agency responsible for recalling products in
Canada. Its Consumer Product Safety website lists products which
have been recalled by the manufacturer due to safety concerns. Visit
www.healthcanada.gc.ca/cps or call 1-866-662-0666.
Health Canada relies on information provided by consumers and
manufacturers to ensure that products on the market are safe for
Canadians. Contact them if you have any problem with a product.
For more information about product safety, please visit
www.safekidscanada.ca or call 1-888-SAFE-TIP (723-3847).
Choking hazards
Many of the everyday products we use in our homes can seriously harm a child because quite often
children do not use a product the way it was intended. Young children test items out by putting them in
their mouth. Older children try to lodge items in their ears or nose.
Pay attention to “small” hazards around your home. Keep items such as magnets, batteries, beads, small
jewellery, paper clips, erasers, hard candy, and any other small items out of reach.
Home Escape Plan
According to the Canada Safety Council, the best defence against fires, gas leaks and other emergencies
is a well-rehearsed escape plan.
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Draw a floor plan of your home and plan two escape routes out of each room.
When escaping from a fire teach family members to stay low to the ground as smoke will rise.
In a fire, feel the bottom of the door with the palm of your hand. If it is hot, do not open the door.
Find another way out.
Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Clean and test detectors once a month. Change
batteries at least once a year.
Keep a whistle in each bedroom to awaken household members in case of an emergency.
Purchase a fire extinguisher (5 lb., A-B-C type) and keep in a central location such as the kitchen.
Have a collapsible ladder on each upper floor of your house to escape from a window.
Quiz your children every six months.
Conduct fire and emergency evacuations.
BCMA Council on Health Promotion
www.bcma.org
Window cords
Many young children have been injured and 24 children have died from being entangled in a dangling
window cord. It’s important to keep all cords out of reach by tying them up high, cutting the cords
short, or better yet using cordless window coverings such as curtains or roller blinds.
Balloons
Supervise children when they are playing with balloons. A piece of latex balloon can block a child's
airways and stop them from breathing. Throw away broken balloon pieces immediately. Mylar (foil)
balloons are a safer option because Mylar broken into small pieces does not block a child's airway.
Safety gates
In Canada, about 40% of injuries involving baby gates involve children younger than a year. In order to
reduce the risk of injury:
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Install safety gates according to the manufacturer's instructions. The locking mechanisms should
always be placed on the side away from the child. Hardware mounted gates should be installed
at the top and bottom of the stairs.
Once your child's chin is in line with the top of the gate or when they are two years old, the gate
is no longer effective and young children may attempt to jump or climb over the gate.
Teach children of two years and older to climb stairs and practice with them until they are able to
climb independently.
Remind family members and friends to close the gate.
BCMA Council on Health Promotion
www.bcma.org
Online Safety
Our kids are exposed to different dangers than when we were their age. And the most prevalent threat
today is on the other end of the computer. Nearly 80% of Canadian children and youth have regular
access to the Internet, and most use the Internet with little or no supervision. However, 25% of young
Internet users have been asked by someone they’ve met on the Internet to meet in person, 15% have
gone to meet that someone, and 20% of that group have gone to these meetings alone.
There are some things parents can do to ensure their kids’ safety while online. They include:
Teach kids the value of their personal information and to keep it private. They should never
disclose personal information such as name, gender, age, home and school addresses, school
name, school team name, email address, phone number, picture, and passwords that will allow a
stranger to locate them.
Set clear rules about which sites your kids are allowed to visit.
Keep the computer in a central location.
Educate your children about Internet predators and other online dangers.
If someone is asking them to do anything that makes them feel uncomfortable, they should let a
parent know immediately.
If your children use Instant Messaging, know who is on their contact list, how they know these
people, and how well they know these people.
Outdoor Safety
With summer arriving bringing with it warmer weather, children will be playing outside. While being
outside in the fresh air and sunshine will be good for your child’s health, there are precautions that
parents need to take to ensure their child’s safety.
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Make sure adults supervise children while in or near the water (pools,
ocean, rivers, puddles, etc).
Gardening tools and chemicals are locked away in a shed or garage.
Home play structures should be inspected regularly and promptly
fixed.
Keep children’s playing area away from back lanes, driveways and
street traffic.
While riding bikes, everyone should be wearing an approved bike
helmet – it’s the law in British Columbia.
Make sure bikes are well lit from the front and back, and have
reflectors on each side.
When rollerblading or skateboarding, make sure kids are well
protected with an approved safety helmet (different from a bike
helmet), knee and elbow pads and wrist guards.
BCMA Council on Health Promotion
www.bcma.org
Additional resources:
About Kids Health
Caring for kids
Canada Safety Council
Cybertip
For more information please visit the Safe Kids Canada web site at www.safekidscanada.ca.
Online resources may also be useful to use to demonstrate hidden home hazards to parents, caregivers
and children. Here are some examples:
For parents and caregivers:
Child Safety Link–Virtual Safety Home
Home safety for all parents
Home Safety Council - Home Safety House
Virtual House identifying safety hazards
Stephanie’s Place – Brampton Fire Department and Stephanie Gatz Foundation
House and DVD on home safety
For kids:
Radar – Health Canada
Activities for children on home safety
French
Code Red Rover – Home Safety Council
Interactive Home Safety Games for Kids
Sammy and Snooper – Chatham Kent Public Health
Interactive Home safety game for children
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BCMA Council on Health Promotion
www.bcma.org